Saüc – Catarsi

Saüc
Catarsi
Out: October 16^th, 2025
Playing time: 36:19

The Heavy Metal / Hard Rock band Saüc hails from the Catalan city of Balaguer. Saüc were founded in 2017 and released their debut ‘Eterna’ in 2021 after four singles. This obviously also contained references to Thrash Metal. Four years later, however, with their second album “Catarsi”, they gave their sound a more contemporary flavour, leaning more towards Alternative and Progressive Metal. The special thing about their music is the lyrics. These are written in their native Catalan language.

The instrumental intro ‘Quàlia’ starts explosively, first a whistling, then hard drumming. The guitar riffs later sound heavily distorted. I always say that I have a difficult relationship with intros, but this is definitely one of the better ones. A video clip was produced for ‘Bèstia’. The quintet is standing close together in a small rehearsal room (?). What the intro promised is also kept by the opening song. Hard riffs and powerful drums. In addition, Àlex Fuentes sings in his native Catalan. This adds a slightly exotic touch. ‘Nèmesi’ is hard and fast, deeply rooted in Hard Rock. The sound hits the nail on the head. Nevertheless, the Catalans manage to incorporate a high proportion of melody. But Saüc can do more than straightforward blasting. They prove this impressively with the power ballad ‘Series Tu’. ‘Instint’ comes in a modern style. The drums set the rhythm. A constant alternation between harshness and beautiful melodies, as if the musicians are fighting an inner battle. ‘Després del Silenci’ is an extremely complex song that leans heavily towards progressive metal. Àlex Fuentes’ vocal partner is singer Kristina ‘Kris’ Vega (Cobra Spell, among others), who also hails from Catalonia. And she not only sings softly, but also puts a clear hardness into her voice. On ‘Obstinació’, the Catalans rely on synths. This makes for another modern sound. The album ends with the ten-minute epic ‘Indíbil i Mandoni’. At the initially quiet start, Marc ‘Storm’ Wallace (Icestorm, Drakum) puts his vocal stamp on the song. But it doesn’t stay that way. This song also has a strong progressive orientation. Hard riffs, beautiful melodies, Speed and Death Metal as well as Symphonic Metal passages alternate. The musicians have saved the best for last.

‘Catarsi’ is a very good Metal album. Saüc move far off the beaten track. And it’s not just the exotic bonus. The musicians prove their skills time and again. There are also varied compositions and arrangements. With their sound, they build bridges to different variants of Heavy Metal. Although not mainstream, the music should inspire many Rock and Metal fans.

Saüc – Bèstia: https://youtu.be/uR93v4z0QMo?si=zJ12DQ4NaAIkzCEp

Lineup:

Viki – Bass
Albert Gasen – Drums
Rubén Peries – Guitars
Edu Arjona – Guitars
Àlex Fuentes – Vocals

Track list:

• Quàlia
• Bèstia
• Nèmesi
• Series Tu
• Instint
• Després del Silenci
• Obstinació
• Indíbil i Mandoni